It's no secret that Madison has way more than its share of great restaurants, and they keep on coming. Sometimes it seems there aren't enough days of the week or meals in the day to sample all of them.Perhaps less noted (but equally notable) is the abundance of great performing arts organizations in Madison, and the robust opportunity for attending and participating in live events.

In a world dominated by cable and web entertainment, its a great thing to occasionally - even frequently - turn off our devices and join actual humans in a local production.

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending a free reading of a Sam Shepard play at the Barnes & Noble East presented by Know Better Productions. I went because I'm a huge Sam Shepard fan. Now I'm also a Know Better fan.

The Barnes & Noble space wasn't ideal for a reading. A few feet behind me, some small children were engaged in play and chatter throughout most of the play. And toward the end of the reading, a somewhat bent over woman, intent on her shopping, ambled through the middle of the performance space, browsing one item after another from a nearby shelf. She seemed oblivious to the actors only inches away from her.

But the actors came through. The shopper and the children were irrelevant. The evening's performance was hugely successful.

We hope that everyone who comes across these words takes advantage of what promises to be a stellar Strollers season coming up. But we also hope you dip your toes in the Madison arts pool frequently. Turn off your television. Step away from the internet. Explore.